The Third Man

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The Third Man

1949

1h 44m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

99 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Set in postwar Vienna, Austria, "The Third Man" stars Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, who arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to find him dead. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Maj. Calloway (Trevor Howard) and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna (Alida Valli).

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Critics Consensus

This atmospheric thriller is one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema, and boasts iconic performances from Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles.

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Richard L. Coe

Washington Post

Jul 26, 2022

It’s all neatly sewn together and recalls the early Hitchcock spy chasers, The Lady Vanishes and the 39 Steps. The playing is fitted nicely to the director’s and writer’s specifications and there are some appealing portraits limned by Austrian actors.

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Ed Potton

The Times (UK)

Sep 8, 2019

5/5

Seventy years on such sombreness seems timely, as does Harry Lime, Welles's deliciously elusive antihero.

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Mark Feeney

Boston Globe

Aug 6, 2015

4/4

Krasker's camera reveals a dank, matte, defeated city - so dully vivid as to be a character unto itself - except that this Vienna becomes something altogether different seen at night or underground.

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Sean Burns

WBUR’s Arts & Culture

Sep 2, 2026

A chatty, propulsive mystery that still crackles with insouciant energy.

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Maxwell Paparella

Screen Slate

Aug 21, 2026

Orson Welles and Cotten reprise the dynamic they had originated in Citizen Kane (1941): the maniacal ego, fit to burst, and the timorous, ineffectual voice of conscience, recovering from a lifetime of hero worship.

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

Jul 1, 2026

To say “nothing is as it seems” would be accurate but trite. The deeper power of The Third Man is more like “nothing is as it was.”

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Jacqueline R

May 21, 2024

It was interesting and has a good twist to it.

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Lam N

May 21, 2024

the choice for music is baffling. really takes you out of the movie.

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Algernon B

@RT71314680 Oct 16, 2026

One of the best movies of all time. Full stop.

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David M

@vicardave Sep 14, 2026

What a pleasure it is to come to a film like this with so little real knowledge of it other than its reputation. It is, of course, magnificent. It's strange, often disorienting air enhanced by its technical brilliance and the performances. The plot is simple but absorbingly effective, and the whole adds up to a justified tag of masterpiece. Little to say about it, other than its brilliance.

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Grant H

@RT95929188 Sep 4, 2026

Call me a Philistine but it was a dull experience that only became more interesting with the arrival of Orson Welles in the final 30 minutes and his nihilistic observations on humanity and morality.

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Chloe H

@RT87865665 Aug 15, 2026

This movie is absolute perfection. The music, the story, the acting, the direction. Perfection!

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Carol Reed

Director

Orson Welles

The Third Man

Joseph Cotten

Holly Martins

Trevor Howard

Major Calloway

Alida Valli

Anna Schmidt

Paul Hoerbiger

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Synopsis

Set in postwar Vienna, Austria, "The Third Man" stars Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, who arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to find him dead. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Maj. Calloway (Trevor Howard) and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna (Alida Valli).

Director: Carol Reed
Producer: Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, David O. Selznick
Screenwriter: Graham Greene, Alexander Korda, Graham Greene
Distributor: Spiegel Media GmbH, Continental Home Vídeo [br], Warner Home Vídeo, Selznick International Pictures, British Lion Films Ltd., Vintage Video
Production Co: London Film Production, British Lion Film Corporation
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 1, 1949, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jun 12, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $447.0K
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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